A Walk Around Upwey

Step back in time and explore the picturesque village that inspired one of England's greatest novelists.

Meet us for a FREE guided walking tour around Upwey in the Footsteps of Thomas Hardy with Mark North and Byron Silver.

The village of Upwey has many picturesque buildings, including a 13th-century parish church, dedicated to Saint Laurence, and Upwey Manor, built around 1639. The River Wey flows through the village and its source is at Upwey wishing well, which was a popular tourist attraction in the Victorian era. On the 22nd of October in 1900, Hardy went with his niece there on a cycling tour, and they both made a wish.

In the 18th century a water mill was built on the river - rebuilt in 1802, it featured as Overcombe Mill in "The Trumpet Major" (1880). "At the Railway Station, Upway", Hardy's poem, composed in 1853, most likely relates to Upwey…